WORK to complete a crucial retaining wall to bring the Midland Metro to Dudley is expected to be finished by the end of May.

Construction of the £4.33m wall at Castle Hill began in January and is a vital part of the Metro extension from Wednesbury to Dudley.

It marks the first physical structure as part of Dudley’s Metro connection plans.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: "It’s great to see that work is progressing well on the retaining wall. This is a huge moment in Dudley’s regeneration story and demonstrates it is our time to build, connect and grow.

"Working with our partners we are delivering the biggest changes our borough has ever seen and this investment brings a new metro line, shops, homes, offices, leisure centre plus much more to the people of our borough."

A meeting of Dudley Council's cabinet on March 17 will hear an update on the project, with work on the retaining wall expected to be completed by the end of May.

Works have been taking place on Castle Hill since February 24 to remove the central reservation to allow enabling preparations for the Metro to take place.

The phased work is expected to take up to five weeks to remove the central reservation and is taking place so that traffic will still be able to travel in both directions on Castle Hill when further works to upgrade and divert existing utilities begin on the road shortly after.

Bus lanes along Castle Hill have also been suspended while work is taking place.